Winter storms dissolving road salt supplies

A motorist drives his pickup through deep water that pooled in the westbound lanes of Benjamin Franklin Highway in Douglass Twp. Berks Wednesday morning. Deep piles of snow along the side of the road prevented Wednesday's rain from running off the highway. (Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury)

With storm after storm straining supplies and supply lines, most municipalities may not have run out of road salt yet — but supplies seem to be dwindling and replacement orders are being hurriedly made.

“I ordered four tri-axle truck’s worth this morning, but I’m not sure when they’re going to come in,” said Ott.

It’s not just a local problem.

The Associated Press reported that many “cities have already gone through most of their salt well ahead of the time they traditionally really need it — when the coldest part of winter gives way to temperatures just warm enough to turn snow into freezing rain and sleet and roads into ribbons of ice.”

Pottstown Borough Manager Mark Flanders told The Mercury there is a salt shortage throughout Montgomery County and as of Tuesday, Pottstown was out of salt.

However, he was able to have a truck diverted from Haines & Kibblehouse.

He estimated the tri-axle truck brought 25 tons of salt that allowed borough trucks to salt the streets.

Demand is so high that salt gets more expensive every day, the Associated Press reported.

“So the municipalities that could buy bulk salt early in the year at $53 a ton are now paying $130 a ton a week ago,” Tom Breier, general manager of Ice Melt Chicago, which sells salt to cities and school districts, told The Associated Press. “And I heard the prices have gone up to $175 to $180 a ton. It could easily go to $200 a ton or more.”

Communities are trying to decide what do to. They could buy a little more salt now, when it costs twice or three times more than earlier in the season, and hope it doesn’t snow too much more. Or they could wait until it does snow more and risk paying even higher prices.

In some areas, there has been so much snow that cities have had to find creative ways to stretch their supplies: spreading salt only on intersections and major roads and mixing it with sand. In Indiana’s Morgan County, there is so little salt left that what is on hand will be mixed with sand and used only on the hills, The Associated Press reported.

“We can only do what we can do,” county engineer Larry Smith said.

In Butler County, they’re trying out a product called Beet Heet, made of processed sugar beet molasses, for anti-icing purposes.

None of the road crews in Southeastern Pennsylvania have reported trying such exotic products — yet.

In Upper Pottsgrove, supplies of regular old road salt are adequate, for now, said commissioners’ Chairman Elwood Taylor.

“We had enough for this storm I’m told,” Taylor said. “And I understand that more is being arranged for.”

“As far as I know, we’re OK,” East Coventry Township Manager Bernard Rodgers said of his township’s salt supply.

But it may get harder to get.

By the end of January, the Pennsylvania Transportation Department had gone through 686,000 tons of salt — more than 200,000 tons beyond the amount used in a typical year.

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.